“The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me” (Bhagavad Gita 10.9).
An important disclaimer: neither of the process-hearing and studying- is different from the other, both are same in principle. We need to humbly study spiritual books and also hear spiritual discourses in the spirit of wanting to serve Krishna and His devotees.
Yet, for devotees who hear, chant, read, serve deities, preach, and write day in day out, things can get mechanical, and it’s not uncommon to see even seasoned devotees sometimes wonder if the process really works. This doubt may especially creep in when things go wrong in life; when friends betray us, when business doesn’t give us the promised returns, and the heart feels lonely.
I realized this recently when a friend confessed that despite studying spiritual books three to four hours daily, he doesn’t feel nourished spiritually. Our discussion helped both of us realize what goes wrong when we study?
The problem in our approach
While studying Srila Prabhupada books certainly sharpens our intelligence, and destroys doubts and illusions accumulated over lifetimes, inattentive reading or an improper attitude may not really help the reader. If we come from an educated background and have an attitude to figure out all problems, and discover all solutions, and feel we are in control of our lives, Krishna may elude us. On the other hand, a devotee who reads with a simple heart, with a desire to please the Lord and also to receive blessings, finds more nourishment from Srila Prabhupada’s books.
When Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in South India tour, he saw an illiterate brahmana read Bhagavad Gita with his eyes filled with tears. On enquiry the brahmana replied that he is reading because his spiritual master has ordered him to study this sacred scripture, and just thinking how the Supreme Lord Krishna has become a charioteer of His dear devotee Arjuna, brings tears to his eyes. Lord Chaitanya embraced the brahmana with joy, and declared him to be the best scholar of Bhagavad Gita. Ironically he was illiterate, yet this poor brahmana was recognized by the Lord as a devotee who had realized the purport of all the Vedic scriptures.
Discovering spiritual nourishment
For educated devotees with a good academic background, it’s easy to reduce the study of sacred spiritual books written by Srila Prabhupada to a dry studious pursuit. That’s when we feel lack of spiritual nourishment.
An alternative approach that would guarantee more nourishment through our study is to approach the books prayerfully. We could offer a prayer before we begin reading and beg the Lord to reveal to us during our study, what’s important for us to know, learn, and realize in our spiritual lives. And as a sacred service to Srila Prabhupada and His books, let’s read them. We’d certainly feel closer to Krishna by this method.
The magic of hearing
For those with a rigorous analytical brain, it also helps to sit submissively in another devotee’s class, and hear his Krishna conscious realizations.
We have a programme in all ISKCON temples where a devotee gives a class, seated on the sacred seat called the Vyasasana. This seat represents Vyasadeva, the original compiler of all Vedic literatures. A devotee sitting on this seat and giving class is representing Vyasadeva and all great spiritual teachers of the past and present. And as a humble representative of these spiritual personalities, a speaker speaks his class. If we humbly sit and hear as an audience in such a class, we are revealing humility. This attracts Krishna’s grace.
“To hear and explain them is more important than reading them. One can assimilate the knowledge of the revealed scriptures only by hearing and explaining. Hearing is called sravana, and explaining is called kirtana. The two processes of sravana and kirtan aare of primary importance to progressive spiritual life. Only one who has properly grasped the transcendental knowledge from the right source by submissive hearing can properly explain the subject.” (Srila Prabhupada purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.1.6)
I know I am personally very choosy about what I read. If a new devotee were to write a book, I may not read it at all. But in the morning class in temple, I have no choice. Sometimes some senior leaders give class and on many occasions, relatively newer devotees present class, seated on the Vyasasan. When I attentively and humbly hear from these new, yet sincere practitioners of Krishna consciousness, I have often felt not only spiritually nourished, but also developed a new insight to solve my own problems in life. Also given the common tendency in this world of people wanting to speak rather than hear, it’s humbling to sit quietly while the speaker narrates for over an hour, Krishna’s pastimes interspersed with his own realizations.
Hearing a live class thus benefits the hearer tremendously, sometimes even more than a haughty approach to studying.
Of course this is external; one could be a voracious reader and yet humble while one who hears classes whole day could be otherwise. We are nobody to judge others, but if we have a sincere desire to serve and love Krishna, the process of chanting, hearing and studying can work wonders in our spiritual lives. Krishna consciousness would then appear to be a never ending festival.
